Prince William left ‘slightly aghast’ by Prince Harry bombshell UK return plan
Prince William must have been left “feeling slightly aghast” after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to move back to the UK, a royal expert has claimed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to Britain in a shock development more than six years after they relocated to the US. Harry and Meghan will be making their home in a non-royal residence outside of London, and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools.
It is understood there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family. The King was first made aware of the move on Sunday, when he was with Prince William, only three days before it was made public.
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And while the monarch is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity, the same cannot be said for the heir.
William – a future king – is estranged from his brother after Harry levelled a barrage of accusations against the prince, Kate, the King and Queen Camilla in the years since the Megxit crisis of 2020.
Author Robert Jobson told Hello! magazine: “I feel that William must be slightly aghast by the whole thing. The prodigal son's return will be difficult for him. Harry's move puts pressure on him to act in a more pragmatic way.”
Mr Jobson added that it will be challenging for the two feuding brothers to attend family events together after everything that’s happened.
The last time William and Harry were in the same room together was in 2024, at their uncle Lord Fellowes's funeral. But they reportedly did not exchange a single word.
Mr Jobson added: “Are they really going to have William and Harry sitting round a table with all that's gone on?”
The move is also likely to spark debate about how the British public will react to the U-turn, given the criticism the Sussexes have levelled at the Royal Family and the monarchy.
A new YouGov poll, carried out the day after the surprise U-turn, showed 33% believe the King’s youngest son and the former Suits star should not come back, while 45% do not know.
Fewer than a quarter (21%) were in favour of the Sussexes relocating from the US.